


The Adventures of Captain Proton: The Forlorn Fugitive

by The_Norsiest



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Harry gets called a whore, Holodeck shenanigans, Humor, Melodrama, Memory Loss, Minor Injuries, Temporary Amnesia, The Adventures of Captain Proton, escaping injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26090488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Norsiest/pseuds/The_Norsiest
Summary: Written for Star Trek Bingo 2020 event. Prompt: Amnesia/memory lossWhile playing Captain Proton on the holodeck a probe wipes out the crew's memories. Well, at least part of their memories. Tom and B'Elanna must escape Chaotica in a world they believe to be real. And poor Harry wanders the ship dressed like a slut. Yes, people comment.
Relationships: Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Comments: 33
Kudos: 22
Collections: Star Trek Bingo Summer 2020





	1. Three idiots and one probe

**Author's Note:**

> I had so much fun writing this and I really hope you enjoy the read. B'Elanna, Tom and Harry are my favorite trio and I absolutely love them as well as making them look silly. 
> 
> Special thanks to Incorrectly-quoted-queers of Tumblr for being my Beta reader. She is my hero!

The Adventures of Captain Proton!   
Chapter 27: “The Forlorn Fugitive” 

The sinister Dr. Chaotica (a man who never so much as stepped inside a medical school) plans to steal the crown jewels of Cosmosicas and present them to the wicked Queen Arachnia as a token of his esteem. But, little does he know the jewels contain the power of three hundred suns and can be used as a weapon to rid the universe of all evil! 

Cosmosicas, fleeing for her life across the galaxy runs into that noblest of all heroes, Captain Proton! After his ship crash lands on the planet Zerulian Six, the pair must flee the clutches of Chaotica and use the hidden might of the jewels to destroy the forces of galactic evil once and for all!

\---

When Tom had scheduled with Harry to go to the holodeck, he had failed to mention the parameters of the program. Captain Proton had become a favorite pastime for the two of them and, so far, Harry had few complaints about playing the sidekick to Tom’s hero. Sidekick was one thing, however damsel in distress was very much another. 

After checking and rechecking that the replicator had given him the correct specification for his costume, Harry stood back from his bed and eyed the wardrobe. A silver catsuit with low v-neck which, on a woman, would do well to show off her cleavage. On him, would display his clean shaven chest and end at his navel. The tightness of the clinging fabric was sure to leave little to the imagination around his groin, that was if it weren’t for the skirt. Harry had added that garment to the parameters, not wanting to feel as on display, and while it didn’t completely fit with the rest of the outfit (coming off more like an ice skater's leotard), Harry felt more comfortable with the coverage. Not used to wearing something more traditionally feminine, but he couldn’t in good conscience go without it. He’d just feel so.. exposed! Black leather boots that rose to the mid thigh completed the ensemble and covered most of the legging. And so it was, after some debate and several thoughts to call Tom and cancel, eventually Harry squeezed into the skin tight attire and made his way to Holodeck 2.

Some time later Harry stood in a room completely void of color. The holodeck lights had been specifically programmed to give a “black and white” effect reminiscent of early twenty first century entertainment. The two officers had been at the game for a good fifteen minutes before the ensign decided to make a fuss. “Remind me again why I’m playing Cosmosicas?” he complained, pulling at his outfit. “We could have just programmed her character in and I could have assisted you like usual.” He paused, thoroughly tired of trying to make his appearance comfortable and gestured out with his arms, “I look ridiculous!” He exclaimed. 

Tom was much too excited about this chapter to give Harry’s rather reasonable suggestion much thought. “Nonsense,” he coaxed. “Did you see the way the Delaney sisters were eyeing you in the corridor?” and at any rate they were both already there; the game had just begun. Stopping now would only delay meeting with Chaotica’s minions and fighting in the upcoming battle scene. After hours of programming and reprogramming, Tom was eager to see just how well it had turned out. Harry was bound to love it, even his role as Cosmosicas, he just had to give it a chance. 

“That’s not exactly the type of attention I wanted to attract.” Harry countered and, if Tom didn’t know him better, he could have sworn the man was pouting. 

Shrugging aside Harry’s complaints, Tom marched ahead, ducking under an arch. He reached up to touch the course sandstone, always delighted by how real the simulations felt. The lieutenant made his way through a small pass in order to climb a boulder of no small size, bounding up quickly with his long limbs to survey the area. He brought up a pair of odd looking binocular-type gadgets to his face. He just knew Chaotica had to be around here somewhere... 

Harry took note of Tom’s enthusiasm with a heavy sigh and followed suit. He was nearly tripping over the rough terrain; his boots were most certainly not made for walking. “Explain it again,” he asked, willing to give this a shot. He had, after all, asked Tom to push him outside his comfort zone. “What we’re doing?” 

Tom could hardly admit his confusion as to why they’d not yet been ambushed. Yet he could sense his adversary close by. Turning back to his friend he jumped down from the high perch and allowed the binoculars to dangle around his neck. Harry normally loved this program and Tom could only surmise it was his costume alone that prevented him from enjoying the full fantastic nature of it today. “We’re trying to make it back to the ship before Chaotica’s henchmen find you. Then we’ve gotta use one of the crystals to power the ship and get us out of here. Which-” he turned his head, checking between pillars of stone for any sign of movement, “-won’t happen until they catch up with us and start attacking. We’re meant to barely get away.” Then, more to himself he added “I gotta hand it to them, they really went for their nail biting close calls in the twentieth century.” 

“Well, in THIS getup I can see why!” Harry leaned against the rockface and grabbed his leg, pulling it up to point out the stiletto heels he wore. “How do women run in these things?!” he asked with agitation and perhaps a better understanding of the struggle twenty first century women went through. 

“They don’t!” B’Elanna voiced as she came around the arch. Her shorter stature meaning she didn’t need to duck in order to reach them. “Not if they could help it. Back in the day Earth men just wanted their women to be pretty.” She informed, moving over to Tom, “they wanted to rescue maidens and be rewarded for the effort without ever having to get to know them.” 

Tom couldn’t help but stare at her. Only a few weeks into their marriage he was still in the honeymoon phase. He eyed the lips that he knew to be lightly painted and the dark eyes he knew to be brown. Everything inside the program was bathed in special light to make it appear black and white. B’Elanna, he considered, was just as beautiful without color as she was with. 

“Good thing we moved past that.” He said, staring at the woman who always made his heart flutter. It wasn’t her looks which had first attracted Tom, no, it was certainly her strength. And not just the physical strength that came from her being half Klingon, but her strength of character that was always so pronounced. It was her resolve, her inability to just give up and accept defeat. Telling B’Elanna that something couldn’t be done was almost as good as seeing her do it. It made all those moments where she allowed herself to trust someone that much more meaningful. Smart, confident, a force to be reckoned with and yes, she was beautiful on top of all that. 

“Maybe, some of you.” she teased. 

Tom held back and resisted the urge to kiss her as he’d not yet been given permission. She was always a little more cautious about affectionate displays in front of others. The woman moved into him and leaned up to give a modest smooch against Tom’s waiting lips. “Good thing.” she remarked with a smile. 

The two of them stood a good moment staring into each other's eyes and Harry was forced to roll his own in response. Paris always loved that look she gave him, something between playful and threatening. “I take it I’m late for lunch?” he asked with some trepidation. 

Harry decided to seize the opportunity that came with his change in attitude, Tom’s adoration of B’Elanna making him lose enthusiasm for the game. He stood with some effort and trudged towards the doors of the holodeck as best he could. He didn’t wait for the pair to register that he was leaving. “If anyone needs me I’ll be in my quarters, Changing!” he announced. As always the doors materialized from their hidden space, shimmering into existence. Harry stepped through and turned back to his friends who were still looking fondly at one another. “And next time YOU can play Cosmosicas and I’ll be Proton.” He stared. 

Tom knew he’d been addressed, but could hardly have repeated what Harry had said. Not with B’Elanna consuming his mind (and other body parts),making him lose all focus. “Whatever you say Harry.” he agreed, without registering what he’d agreed to. 

Harry shook his head and left, the holodeck system automatically concealed the doors again. It was standard programming for whenever any of the original group was still inside. The area once more appeared to be a cliff, complete with dramatic views against a purplish background… if the holonovel hadn’t been set to black and white that was. The lighting of the system cast shades of dull inkiness to the set giving it an old timey feel. 

“Come on, I want to get a good look at the probe we’ll be passing.” B’Elanna said, turning towards the doors. “The science team has been studying it for days and it’ll be positioned just off the mess hall. Ensign Witt won’t shut up about it and I’d like to see what all the fuss is over.” 

Tom reached out and caught B’Elanna gently by the arm, halting her movement. “Couldn’t we just… ” having her attention back he shrugged his shoulders before giving her one of his (supposedly) devilishly charming smiles. “Stay in here for a while? You know, ‘enjoy’ the program?” Tom moved all the nearer, letting her arm go and reaching up to brush the hair beside her face. 

B’Elanna leaned into his advances and placed a hand along his chest, against the ridiculous Captain Proton uniform (not that she’d ever call it that out loud). Tom was a good head and half taller than she was and when the woman looked up at him with only the slightest tilt of her head she knew it would give him butterflies. “I guess… we could take a few minutes.” she offered.

Never one to make her strain Tom leaned down, allowing his grin to dissolve into a pucker. They were nearly lip to lip, close enough that she could smell his aftershave, when a sudden blast caused the holodeck to shake violently. “What was that?” Tom asked. It couldn’t have been ‘just’ the holodeck. The officers looked at one another with dread; something had happened to the ship, _their_ ship, and regardless of what they’d been feeling before their attitudes were suddenly very serious. 

Voyager was brought to a forceful stop and without another word, or worry for their lost loving moment, both lieutenants turned with the same sense of duty. They bolted towards the door just as another shake took hold, this time with more momentum than the first. Tom was forced to catch B’Elanna as she flew back into him with a grunt. The simulation itself, within the holodeck, reacted as well; rocks began to fall and smash against the sandy ground. Fearing for their safety Tom indicated a low shelf cut into the formation “Over there!” He shouted and both of them dove for cover. 

The room echoed with the weird metallic thump as the red beam appeared from nowhere. It slid through the room as if they were being scanned by some unknown force. The light passed through the images without causing any discernible damage. Yet, how it would react when hitting a solid mass was unclear. Tom threw his larger body across his wife, his back ready to brace the impact of the light. Whatever that thing was, it certainly wouldn't be good...

\---

But what will become of our heroes when the deadly ray strikes their bodies? Who, if anyone will come to their rescue? Does Harry Kim get to put on a more professional outfit? Stay tuned for the next exciting reveal in Captain Proton and the Forlorn Fugitive!


	2. Cliff hangers! No, really.

Tom opened his eyes to the dusty landscape draped in various shades of black, white and grey. Where was the color? 

The body beneath him shifted. And who was he on top of? 

His arms were wrapped around her protectively, the back of her head was all he could make out as they were pressed firmly into the dirt, or sand, or whatever this stuff was. He pulled away, sitting up on his knees and allowing the woman to do the same. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asked gently. 

Dazed B’Elanna pulled away from his touch. When she turned to face him Tom could see the ridges that ran along her forehead, framed within dark locks of hair. He took her in. Her uniform looked official, clean lines and a badge across her chest. But he didn’t recognize it. She was obviously a different species and Tom felt he knew what species it was, but he was blanking on the name. The shades over her eyes and lips indicated she was wearing makeup, just a bit darker than, he assumed, her natural skin tone. It was hard to tell within the world of grey around them. 

“Where am I?” she asked. Her eyes darted over him as she sized him up. He was wearing something atrocious that offended her good senses, though she was sure fashion wasn’t her thing. The jumpsuit wouldn’t have been so bad by itself but the square panel against his chest made no sense with it’s large dials. They jutted out and reminded B’Elanna of something she’d once seen in a museum, and for what purpose they held on a uniform she couldn’t be sure. It almost reminded her of an old aviation uniform. But from where? 

She reached up and touched her forehead. It was like some iron safe had taken part of her memory and locked them up tight. Bits of them, torn and shredded, lay about the floor surrounding it. Some of it was obvious while the rest was fragmented. It was there, held for safekeeping, existing behind a door she’d lost the key to. Eventually her head ached from the effort to bash the safe open and B’Elanna relened. She turned to the man. He was soft in features, his eyes spoke of kindness, but his jaw seemed somewhat weak. She imagined it would be easy to dislocate with a right uppercut. But for now, at least, she had no intentions of hurting him. “Who are you?”

“Tom,” Tom said instantly, blurting it out on instinct. He backed up and rose to stand before taking in more of their surroundings. “As for where?... Some kind of planet.” He said, though that much was blatantly obvious. 

“That much is obvious,” the woman shot back. She rose to stand, ignoring his offered hand to assist her. Though, he didn’t appear to be offended. That was nice. Even though she couldn’t recall a specific event, B’Elanna was used to offending people. Her personality had always been aggressively independent and she’d learned it took someone very secure to not let that bother them. B’Elanna allowed her eyes to run along his figure. He was tall, but he didn’t seem the warrior sort, despite his size. His hands looked to be absent of calluses and, beyond the dirt from their obvious ordeal (whatever it was), he seemed clean and well manicured. 

Thankfully he wasn’t fussing over her, an act she was sure she hated. “I’m B’Elanna.” she offered, but then shook her head, “At least I think I am…”

“Nice to meet you.” Tom replied and they both gave an awkward smile. 

It was basic training, though they weren’t sure from what, to get an idea of their surroundings. Sticking close together they started to turn, making note of the large rock faces, absent grey sky, and rough terrain. 

There was a cliff to the side and B’Elanna moved towards it. She peered down to see the vast landscape splayed out before them. Nearly seven meters down, it was like a maze of pillars stretching as far as they could see. A steady incline made for a hill and on the distance a craft, maybe even a spaceship, could be seen. 

B’Elanna’s hand patted the space on her right hip where something was normally held. She furrowed her brow and tried to remember what she was searching for. A device, something that would help them understand this place. “Tri… tricor… Tri, tri, tri… something,” she mumbled before giving up in frustration. It was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t make sense of it.

“What should we try?” Tom asked as he came over. The soil was loose near the cliff, much more than he’d anticipated and his foot slipped from beneath him. His eyes widened as they caught sight of the drop. He felt a hand lock around his arm, B’Elanna steadying him with a worried expression. She might have been small in stature, but he could feel her strength in the hold. And he couldn’t have told you if it were the near fall or the feeling of her skin against his that brought the rise in his endorphins. Their eyes locked for a moment before she let go and he felt a sudden cold replace the warmth of her touch. 

They both looked away sheepishly. 

“Thanks” Tom cleared his throat a little more, “what were you saying?”

B’Elanna patted her hip again as if hoping the item had materialized. “I just know there is something. Some kind of device I’m missing that could tell me more about this place. I just can’t seem to-” she put a hand to her forehead, the onset of a headache beginning to form as blood pushed against her temples. Whatever had taken their memories had left her feeling hungover. “I can’t seem to remember,” she whispered. 

B’Elanna’s comment rang true. It seemed right that there should be a device they could use, something that would scan the area and tell them about this place. Muscle memory took hold and Tom patted his own side but found only the strange thing attached to his outfit. He pulled the… the… he wasn’t sure what to call the thing. Atom… moser? Atom something. Atomizer? Was that even a real word? 

“What about those?” B’Elanna asked, pointing to the binoculars around his neck. 

Tom moved to take them off but the woman snatched them from his hands. She brought them up to her eyes to get a good look across the canyon, tugging at the cord around Tom’s neck. He had to lean forward with the pull, his chest nearly connecting with her back. Close enough to feel the warmth she exuded. He might have liked the closeness if it weren’t for the pressure on his spine. “I could just give you those,” he offered, though he didn’t really mind the lack of distance between them. 

B’Elanna pulled her face away and looked at him with a slight blush, as if she hadn’t been aware he was wearing them. “Sorry,” she said before Tom handed them over. 

“Don’t mention it,” he said with a smile. 

While she surveyed the area, the confused human man looked over the device he’d found on his hip. It seemed familiar, but he wasn’t sure how. It didn’t exactly look like a scientific instrument either. It vaguely reminded him of a hairdryer in shape, the long nose of it was ringed with clear circles, and little sphere at the end. Was this what they’d been looking for? It was right where he’d reached for instinctually, and so had she. It must have been important. If it could help them figure out something about the planet then it was worth investigating. “Maybe we could try this?” he said, bringing the device up and aiming it to scan a nearby rock formation. 

“I can see a ship across the canyon,” B’Elanna said, still looking through the binoculars. 

Tom fired! 

A shrill sort of whistle sounded as the beam light exited the device. In one smooth motion it slammed into the rocks, causing a cascading burst. It was an explosion that made the solid rockface shatter into dozens of particles with a thundering boom; a sound which was much louder than it had any right to be. Tom’s hands instantly dropped the weapon and both he and B’Elanna backed away from it. 

“What the hell was that!?” she exclaimed. 

“I have no idea!” Tom answered truthfully. They both held their breath for a moment as the dust settled and allowed their ears to stop ringing. That certainly wasn’t going to help the headache. As the echo of the blast began to die down a new sound came over the ridge. It was… marching. Footsteps of many people falling together as they headed towards the pair. “Oh good,maybe they’ll be able to help us out.” But as the procession came into view Tom’s stomach began to turn. 

A man of slicked back hair and dark robes could be seen at the front of the group. He worse sweeping black robes which flowed over the ground to knock up a dust trail behind him. His brows were frayed but bushy and his eyes were narrow and menacing. And if that wasn’t enough to send an eerie sensation over Tom, well, what could be more menacing than a goatee? 

He stood before a pack of surly looking creatures. They were muscular, mostly human, but they had dark makeup under their eyes and fangs hanging from their mouths. If Tom had to guess, he would think they were prosthetics. They just didn’t seem to be real. The fangs hung over the lips causing their cheeks to bulge as if it were a struggle to hold them in place. Their own clothing was sparse and torn, little metal buttons hanging to the sides or stitched in odd places. It was almost like… a bad costume design. 

The man in charge stepped forward. Tom wasn’t sure why, but he knew this guy wasn’t here to help. “Captain Proton!” he exclaimed dramatically, flourishing his hands from beneath his dangling sleeves. 

“I thought you said your name was Tom,” B’Elanna asked. 

“It is but… I guess Proton is my last name?” That didn’t seem right. He mulled it over; Proton, Proton, Tom Proton, Thomas Proton, Thomas Eugene Proton. The word Paris flashed through his mind. Odd, why was he thinking of France at a time like this? 

“We meet again!” the man said, regaining Tom’s attention. “At last I will face you when you are at your weakest. At last we shall do battle on the great plains of Zerulian Six. At last I shall be rid of you once and for all! People shall speak of my greatness when they tell the tale of your defeat. _At my hands_. I once told you that you would rue the day you ever set eyes on-” 

Tom snapped his fingers “Chaotica!” he said triumphantly and wagged his hand. “I knew I recognized you.” He turned to B’Elanna, saying, “I knew I knew this guy. His name is Chaotica, and those are his henchmen, the ‘bat’ people of saturn.” 

She looked at the horde of garish creatures. “Saturn doesn’t have bat-people,’” she stated. To her it seemed that other than some bad makeup and pointy teeth they were basically human. “They don’t look much like bats either.” she observed. 

“Yeah, you’d think they’d have wings or something.” Tom crossed his arms and considered them more thoughtfully. “Maybe some big ears for sonar?” 

“Or a snout?” B’Elanna agreed. 

“Yeah, that would help.”

“CAPTAIN PROTON!” Chaotica shouted angered by the interruption “I shall not be ignored on this most glorious of days! You shall finally meet your maker. I shall have my victory and YOU, you will suffer your great defeat at MY hands!” Then, with his hands, Chaotica gave the signal and ordered the ‘bat’ people to attack! 

The henchmen rushed forward! Well… as much as they actually could rush. It was more that they sort of waved their arms in the air and opened their mouths to hiss while jogging forward. Both B’Elanna and Tom reacted, positioning themselves to fight; back to back, as if they’d been trained for such occasions. 

The beings took slow swings towards them that they were easily able to deflect. The would-be blows barely caused a breeze. Tom thought he was doing pretty well, battling off two at a time, dancing around them with limber skill. But when he looked back to B’Elanna he saw that she had picked up her assailant, in a feat of strength that seemed beyond her tiny body, and hurled him at another three enemies. She roared loudly with the effort and Tom made a mental note to stay on this woman’s good side. 

Something about this wasn’t sitting right with Tom. It just didn’t feel like a fair fight, but no sooner than he had the thought things started heating up. Suddenly the creatures had increased their speed, as if… as if they’d been programmed to match their enemies skill and speed. Starting off slow but ramping up to match their opponents. Their fangs didn’t seem as silly either, mouths gaping open to brandish long teeth. Tom had to swivel, jump, and roll across the ground to avoid several not-so-friendly looking smiles. He kicked out and tripped one of the beasts, but the same move was avoided gracefully by another, like they were learning as they went. 

That was when he heard the scream. B’Elanna raged, clutching her side. A nice gash could be seen beneath her hand. Liquid, the same grey as everything else here, seeped from the wound and the henchman’s hand dripped with her blood. She went wild, punching, pummeling, and pounding away as she fought. She was now surrounded by five of the ‘bat’ people who seemed to be mounting an organized attack. 

Distracted by the display, Tom received a good right hook from one of them. He felt the blow, and while he knew he’d had worse it still hurt all the same. He stumbled back, spying an opening between two of his attackers. Tom barreled through, ramming into the back of one going towards B’Elanna. It was sent sprawling into another. Two birds, one stone. Tom being the proverbial stone, that is. B’Elanna in kind blocked the blow aimed at Tom’s head and knocked out the henchman just behind him. Together again they stood close, readying themselves for the next onslaught. 

But it didn’t come. 

The figures moved back and out of the way, revealing why they’d halted their attack. They saw Choatica reach down to the ground where Captain Proton’s atomiser pistol, his ray gun, lay in the dirt. He laughed sinsterly as he raised the weapon and pointed it at his nemesis. “Oh the irony,” he said, “to kill you with your own weapon!” 

They were surrounded on all sides, the henchmen backing up but keeping close in rank. There were no gaps between them, no arms that wouldn’t slash if they tried to push through, and their loyalty certainly wouldn’t stop the sinister man from firing at them in order to get to the pair. There was only one way out. 

B’Elanna grabbed Tom just before the weapon was fired, saving them by sending them hurtling over the cliff!


	3. Don't ask Vulcans to define you

Harry wandered into the room… It was a big room and at the center there was this large glowy thing that traveled up towards the ceiling. It kind of pulsed and he knew it was somehow important, he just wasn’t sure how. But then, he wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. He’d been wandering the corridor when, well, he wasn’t sure what had happened. It was like waking up while sleepwalking. His eyes had opened and Harry found himself flat on the floor. He assumed he’d been running, but from what was anyone’s guess and he’d obviously tripped. He’d struggled to stand in the stilettos, and figured that must have been the problem. 

His knees still ached from the where they’d been skinned and Harry rubbed his palms, the feeling of ‘carpet burn’ lingering. He moved towards the warp core, hoping it would spark some memory in his mind. It called to him, so maybe it held some answers. 

Harry was approached by someone else. “Can I assist you?” he was asked. 

‘Vulcan’ the word came crashing through, even if he didn’t understand it. The guy was different, or at least different from Harry. He had a bowl cut for one and... hadn’t those gone out of fashion eons ago? His eyebrows were slanted upwards instead of curving around the socket and his ears were… pointed! Harry couldn’t help the impulse as he reached out and tried to touch them, but the man, who didn’t appear much older than Harry himself, pulled away and repeated his question. 

“I don’t know,” Harry answered, taking another quick look around. “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know-” he looked down at his outfit, he was obviously dressed very differently than the rest of these people. Did that mean he wasn’t a part of their crew? And just exactly what kind of crew was this? “I don’t really know who or what I am.” He said forlornly, the identity crisis he was under starting to seep in. 

The man gave him a thoughtful look. “Of the people I have questioned, all appear to have some form of amnesia,” he explained calmly. “We know how to operate our stations, though names and events escape us. I for one can recall my age, my species and home planet, as well as my duties here. However I do not know my rank, where my quarters are or the names of my fellow crewmen.” 

“Selective memory loss?” Harry ventured.

“Undoubtedly by an external force we were brought collectively into our present condition.” 

It made sense and Harry nodded. 

“As for whatever you are...” The stern looking man said, eyeing him up and down. He crossed his arms,careful of the PADD in his hand, and began to circle him, saying “Judging solely on your appearance. I would assume you are some sort of ‘entertainer’.” Which made sense given the shine of the silver suit. He took slow deliberate steps around Harry, considering him thoughtfully as he moved from side to behind to side and finally stood before him again. “I would further speculate that you are in the business of entertaining others for the purpose of… physical gratification.” 

“Physical gratification?” Harry asked, surely that couldn’t mean what he thought it did. 

The man held his chin as he continued to look over Harry who suddenly felt the exposure of the plunging neckline. “The shortness of your skirt would represent the idea of ‘easy access’, the desirable height given by the shoes along with the way they cause your legs to appear longer and more muscular is ideal for ‘showing off’.” He took in Harry’s navel, just barely exposed by the line as it opened up and ascended towards his neck. “Not to mention the open chest that indicates your health while exposing flesh is a traditional way of attracting a mate.” 

Harry’s mouth parted as he started to protest but the truth was he really couldn't argue with the sound reasoning. It was just a, what was the word? ‘Logical’ conclusion. 

“And of course the silver is common in bonding ceremonies.” He finished matter-of-factly. 

Someone else might have left Harry feeling gawked at, but this guy didn’t really seem the type to consider sex outside of the theorectical. After making his comments, he went back to looking Harry in the eye with a calm but disinterested expression. He felt both judged and not judged at the same moment. 

“Right…” Harry said, for some reason he didn’t completely understand he wasn’t exactly offended. “And who are you?” he wondered aloud. 

The man’s left brow twitched with the question and he shifted in his stance as if unsure. Something he obviously didn’t like being though he kept his emotions well concealed. “Clearly,” he stated after clearing his throat, “I am the person in charge here.” He indicated the tablet in his hand, as if that explained it. 

“But WHO are you? What is this place? What’s that?” he pointed to the warp core which ebbed with a surge of power. 

“While I am unaware of the name, I do understand it’s properties and how it functions.” The man looked up and down at the device in much the way he’d done to Harry. “I know that it can be dangerous if left unchecked but it is also an important part of this vessel. And it is my job to see that it is tended to.” 

Harry stood in silence for a moment as the two of them looked at it. The massive device had a certain hum that was both pleasing and annoying. The sort of thing that could easily become background noise but would be obvious if it stopped. At any rate it seemed to be functioning. People, presumably just as confused about their activities as they were, went about their business. They chatted curiously with one another, but punched keys and touched screens as if it were second nature. This guy seemed to have some kind of handle on what was going on and for whatever that was worth it was reassuring. 

“I’m Harry,” Harry said. 

“Vorik,” Vorik replied. But as Harry went in for a hand shake the man simply stared at his outstretched appendage. “I have a mate.” he added. And it was true that while Vorik had no idea who this person was or even where they were at that exact moment, he did know they existed. His denial of hand touching wasn’t so much a matter of faithfulness but rather a desire to not do anything without his mate’s express consent. It was logical. And logic, he knew above all other memories, was paramount. 

Judging by the stare he was given Harry would believe he’d just confirmed this guy’s theory as to who he was and what business he was in. “Maybe I should see if there’s a doctor. Figure out if there’s a cure for our amnesia.” 

Vorik nodded approvingly, “That would be a better use of your time.” Although he was certain to have dedicated his life to that of reason and controlled emotion, the Vulcan was hardly one to be insensitive. The way Harry looked downcast at his words when he turned away was bothersome. He added, “Not that your services are unuseful, the relaxation and physical affection you provide to a ship this large would be needed for long voyages, it is simply that, given our current situation, it would be best to determine what has happened. I, of course, must stay and attend these duties. You on the other hand should be free to search for a solution.” 

He’d obviously considered leaving his post but had been unable to do so. Harry nodded, and if this guy was calling him a whore at least he was being nice about it. “Right, I’ll just be heading out to find them then.” Before leaving however Harry turned back around and addressed the man, “Uh, maybe once we get our memories back, you and your mate… we could have some drinks together?” 

Vorik paused to consider, “I would have to ask them.” but for now, there were things to be done. The ensign turned to give instructions to a couple of chatting crewmen. At first they seemed unsure if they should take him seriously. But without any means to argue they returned to their posts and got back to work. Harry left engineering. He felt slightly less baffled but also a little more bummed. What kind of prostitute was he if he couldn’t secure a date? 

\---

Tom and B’Elanna landed with a thump! 

Tom could feel two of his ribs bruised beneath his right side and he called out with the pain. Still, they’d managed to get away. He looked up to see the henchmen cautiously leaning over the cliff and from down here the height didn’t seem nearly as intimidating. Dr. Chaotica must have thought so, too. As he approached the cliff side he saw that Tom was still alive and took aim. Both he and B’Elanna sprang up from the ground and ran for the safety of the rocks in the distance. There was firing from the atomizer, explosions, that shrill sound of the ray being emitted, as well as the whooping of the ‘bat’ people. They were pelted by broken rocks as they fled, the aim of their enemy more than a little off. 

“PROTON!” Chaotica wailed as they disappeared from his sight. His voice echoed in the desert landscape. 

B’Elanna and Tom panted once behind the safety of a few large pillars. “What the hell was that about!?” she spat angrily. 

“Chaotica is my arch enemy,” Tom said, not entirely sure how he knew this information when he didn’t remember much else. “He’s after the Jewels of Cosmosicas. I bet they’re on my ship.” 

“The what?” B’Elanna demanded. “This doesn’t make any sense; none of this even looks real. There’s no color, those outfits are ridiculous and… I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something off. Those people didn’t seem like real people. It just- ah!” She gripped her side. With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, B’Elanna was now suddenly aware of the gash in her body. She had to lean against the rockside to balance herself. 

“Easy,” Tom said, moving over to offer her support. He reached out and pulled back her hand to take a look at the wound and even though there was no color he could tell her blood was different than what he expected. He couldn’t help but wonder about her. The ridges along her forehead clearly meant she was a different species and the consistency of her blood was obviously foreign from his own. He wondered what planet she was from and more urgently, how different her anatomy might be from his. “You need to lay down,” he instructed and she didn’t fight as he helped her to the ground. 

Tom had B’Elanna lay down in a position most comfortable for herself. As long as she wasn’t on her stomach, he could treat the wound and restrict the blood flow. She chose to lay on her opposite side, the uninjured one, and pulled her arm forward to be out of the way. Tom was gentle as he peeled back the clothing to get a better look at the wound. 

“Doesn’t seem too deep,” He said reassuringly, but as his hand lightly touched above the area she twitched with pain. He pulled back. There wasn’t much he could do here besides apply pressure and get them to his ship. He was certain he had a medical kit on board. At least he hoped. 

“Well it certainly stings,” B’elanna said through gritted teeth. She tried not to show any signs of weakness. Something told her this was bad. Something in her rearing that she couldn’t quite put a finger on. She had to be tough and endure it… like a warrior! She heard the tearing of clothing and turned back to see Tom destroying part of his suit. 

“We need to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.” he told her. He wished he had something cleaner, but an infection would come later, blood loss would come now. “This might hurt a bit,” he said, folding over the fabric into a nice square before pressing against the wound. 

B’Elanna stifled a yell, balling her fists and wishing she could just turn around and punch him. That would have been uncalled for. This man appeared to have a good bedside manner, “You do this sort of thing often?” she asked, breathing through the pain. Conversation, at least, was distracting. 

Tom started tearing the jacket he’d removed from his patient and tried to shred it. The material however was turning out to be a lot stronger than his own and forced him to pull an ionized cutter from his pocket. “I’m not sure I know,” he said offhand, trying to keep the conversation light in spite of their ordeal. “I seem to have some kind of medical training, but… I don’t know why I can’t remember where I live, or who my friends are.” 

“Me either” she offered, then playfully speculated “Maybe we just don’t have any.” 

This got Tom to chuckle; she had a sense of humor and given their circumstances he admired her for it. “I need you to sit up a little, I have to make these as tight as possible.” 

B’Elanna nodded and helped him as much as she could. Tom wound his arms around her, pulling the fabric across her sides and stomach. She could feel his heat behind her back and something she didn’t want to admit stirred inside her stomach. That was before the pain of his tightening the bands came through. She held back a groan and let him secure the fastenings. 

It wasn’t much and he had to be careful about putting too much pressure on her abdomen, but the fabric would hold, at least until they got off this planet. He helped B’Elanna to stand and there was an awkward pause as she looked up at him, so close with his hands still clutching her arms. “Thanks,” she said softly. 

“My pleasure.” 

B’Elanna looked around the area and asked “Where do we go?” 

“I know this is weird but, I KNOW that my ship is only a kilometre away, but I don’t have the foggiest idea which direction to go.” 

B’Elanna started looking around for any type of trail or marker. Eventually, as her eyes softened to the monochromatic landscape she picked up on something. She tilted her head and gestured for Tom to come over, “Do you see this?” she asked and pointed along what appeared to be a path. It was strange, everything around it seemed almost… fuzzier than the rest of the background, leaving a clear image of where they were supposed to be head, or at least the only direction they could actually go. They tilted their heads from side to side, the movement making the distortion that much more obvious. 

Tom and B’Elanna both eyed the strange image before glancing at each other. Could this place get any weirder?


	4. The crazier the better

Tom moved cautiously down the incline of rocks, offering out his hand to B’Elanna. She might normally have declined but the pain in her side was distracting and she wasn’t interested in losing her footing. She took Tom’s hand. It was large, engulfing, as he gently gripped her palm to give her some stability. They were soft hands, not something B’Elanna usually found interesting, but on him, they seemed nice. And something about his medical treatment told her he knew how to use them. She stumbled a bit as the dirt gave way beneath her feet and he caught her other arm with his to steady her. “I’m alright,” she assured him and he nodded, letting go of her slowly as she regained her balance. 

“We can stop to rest if you want,” he offered. They’d already made good time and he figured she’d need a break or two. 

As B’Elanna sat down, Tom moved ahead and looked over the quarry of rocks. There was something familiar about this place that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Not to mention a strange odor. One of the odd things about this memory loss was how much Tom still ‘knew’. He couldn’t have told you what he’d had for breakfast, where his home was, his parents' names even though he recalled his own, but he knew everything about piloting a Starship, Dr. Chaotica, and what he’d gotten for his tenth birthday. So when his brain randomly recalled the bit of information ‘scent being the greatest trigger to memory’ he decided to take another whiff of what was coming over the horizon. 

It was disgusting! 

He wriggled his nose but forced himself to take another inhale. He knew this, didn’t he? It was on the edges of his brain, it was important. Some part of his mind telling him he should know this, that it meant... something. 

Not that Tom could remember two hours ago, much less two months, he was still vaguely aware of one of his proudest projects. Twentieth century design had always been a strange mix of bad costumes and cheesy effects. It was often difficult to recreate in the all too realistic holodecks. When a program is designed to give the most perfect recreation of reality, to the point that they were indistinguishable to the naked eye, it became something of a challenge to have a character projected as faux. To have the holodecks render something so unimaginable as the monster that appeared before him now was an act of sheer stubborn inspiration. 

Tom squinted as he took in the sight. This… could not be a real animal! 

It was like a cross between a pig and a horse with bulbous snout. There was a wispy mane of hair that fell down over from it’s head to its lower back. It stood staggeringly upright. Fangs, much the same as those of the ‘bat’ people, protruded and its mouth jutted out with the struggle of trying to hold the prosthetic in place. Its face was almost human with the exception of pronounced cheekbones and aforementioned features. The eyes were eerily no different than Tom’s in shape and, possibly, color. Not that you could rightfully tell. They were simply light, and gave unsettling contrast to the dark makeup around them. Its movements were wobbled and disjointed, not unlike two people stuffed inside one big costume. Yet, there were no seams to imply that’s what it was. The texture of “fur” on the thing looked both real and synthetic. It was growing out from the beast but reminded Tom of the stuffing he’d once pulled from a torn stuffed animal. 

“What on Kronos is that!?” B’Elanna’s voiced from behind him. 

The thing had hands, very human but with only three digits, the tips of which looked sharp with claws. They reached out towards Tom as the monster roared and with an ability that shouldn’t have been possible for its anatomy as it began to gallop towards the pair. 

—-

Harry entered a room where people were staring out large windows that lined one wall. There was a smell, something like food, but not exactly food, that met his nose. A short man with fuzzy face, spots, and yellow eyes was happily doling out large portions of something onto trays. Harry considered whether or not he was hungry enough to risk the dish. 

“Why are you out of uniform?” someone said, coming up from his side and jolting Harry from his consideration of a meal. She was older, more mature and her voice was commanding. It made Harry hop to attention in a way without him realizing it. She had one of those faces that spoke of kindness, yet seemed capable of sternness when the occasion called for it. 

“I… I’m not sure.” he answered before turning to look back at the fuzzy man, “He isn’t wearing one though.” 

Neelix realized he was being talked about and waved enthusiastically over to them. They waved back and he resumed whatever duties he was undertaking. “I suppose you’re right.” the woman said. He took another moment to look her over; she was wearing a red version of everyone’s uniform and her hair was cut short. He noticed she had more of the golden circles on her collar than anyone else. “Well, do you know much about Quantum status waves and refractory memory patterns?” she asked. 

It all sounded somewhat familiar but Harry couldn’t quite wrap his brain around the words. They were all words of course, all sounded science-y but they didn’t seem to fit together quite right. It was just… babble. “I don’t think I do,” he said solemnly. He knew it was there, something, some intelligence, but for whatever reason he couldn’t access it. Not to mention there was a chance maybe this woman just knew more than he did. 

A man of dark skin with the same slanted brows and pointed ears as the engineer came over and handed the woman a PADD. She examined it, losing interest in Harry. The man however, glanced over him with a questioning gaze that made Harry wonder. “Do you know what I am? What this uniform means?” Harry asked. 

Tuvok considered him before answering and Janeway looked up as if she hadn’t noticed what he’d been wearing. “Judging solely on your wardrobe I would assume you are a type of entertainer…” He chose not to add the part about him serving physical gratification. 

Janeway’s eyes flexed with surprise, she paused for just a moment as she thought it over, then shrugged “Everyone has to have a job,” she offered.

Tuvok noted the more depressed expression on the man’s face. “Although, in my culture… or I believe it is in my culture,” he said with something of a sigh, “a more formal and less revealing dress such as this would indicate someone who was anticipating their wedding.” Well, their wedding night specifically, Tuvok, thought, but that probably wasn’t what this younger man wanted to hear. 

“Really?” Harry perked up.

Janeway gave the PADD back to the taller man. “I love weddings. At least I think I do.” Janeway stated. “But It’ll have to wait. We need to figure out what this memory loss is and see if we can restore them. I just KNOW it has something to do with that probe. If I could just-” she sighed. “Remember.” 

Harry looked out the window. He didn’t recognize the design. Nor was he sure what was going on. Either way he felt compelled to help. “Have you tried scanning it with some kind of ionized paulson beam? that’ll give you quantum singularity readings compared to subspace frequency intervals.” He offered, not entirely sure he knew what all those words meant. 

This seemed to spark something in the woman. “That could tell us if we need microbursts of thermal radiation or if a simple subspace reroute of signals would cease the effects.” She smiled at him and Harry felt a surge of pride. “Thank you, this has been very helpful.” and the woman darted off to find out where to begin her experiment, the tall man trailing behind her. 

Pleased with himself, Harry headed back out the door in hopes of finding a doctor. 

\---

Tom and B’Elanna made a good team, circling the creature and catching it’s attention. While one distracted it, the other would run and in turn do the same for them. It was strange how in-sync they were, even though they’d just met (or as far as their memories served anyway). But strangely they connected with each other’s movements, as if they’d danced like this before. The thing wasn’t as fast as the ‘bat’ people had been, its awkward size and weird stride made for a sluggish chase. It also had a difficult time turning around the stone pillars which blotted the area. When either the man or woman thought the monster was gaining on them, it only took a quick detour to shake it. And if the growls were any indication, it was getting angerier for the effort. 

“Any ideas?” B’Elanna shouted, rounding a bend. 

“It’s got a great sense of smell.” 

“Really?” she chidded with a huff, “I’d say it’s pretty awful personally.” Referring to the stench it was putting off. 

Tom ran before the creature’s vision and started hopping, waving his arms and whooped to get it’s attention. It worked and soon the beast was after him instead of her. “What I mean is it’ll chase us non-stop, it might be slower but we’re gonna wear out eventually, and even if we put some distance between us it’s going to keep hunting us down. It can track a smell for miles!” Tom kicked off one of the rock faces and doubled back, sliding just beside the alien’s misshapen legs. He stood quickly and continued. 

“How do you know so much about these things?” she asked, “I can’t even remember what a Targ is!” 

“Targ?” Tom asked, bounding over a rock as the thing lashed out at him before tripping itself over what the man had nimbly escaped. “Never heard of it.” 

While it was down B’Elanna grabbed a handful of pebbles and chucked it at the face of the beast. “We can’t just dance around this thing all day.” she exclaimed and ran off in the opposite direction, arm clutching her side from the previous injury she’d sustained. It was getting more difficult for her to breathe through the pain. But this area was enclosed and there were no clear paths of escape. 

She was right of course, and Tom was concerned for the gash across B’Elanna’s side. This impromptu exercise certainly wasn’t helping either of them. “We need to find a way to kill it, or at least-” his eyes trailed to the tallest ridge, the jagged rock surface ascended upwards at a near 90 degree angle. There were lots of nooks and crannies for climbing, almost like that was an option for escape, but it would have put them on a much longer path to getting back to the rocket ship, he was sure of it. But that didn’t handle the monster. Another thought crossed his mind. “B’Elanna!” he yelled “We’ve got to knock it out!” 

Beads of sweat trailed down B’Elanna’s face. With each step of her foot the vibrations went up her body and a sharp ripple ran across her abdomen. _Sore_ ; she couldn’t remember the last time an injury had made her this sore. Though to be fair she couldn't remember her last injury at all. “Sounds good to me!” B’Elanna snarled before taking another sharp turn. The fatigue already settling in. 

The thing was starting to get wise to their evasions and drifted with its feet sliding through the loose soil. The recovery it needed to go back after it’s prey was shortened considerably by this action. B’Elanna, feeling drained from the chase, was beginning to see white across her vision. When she tried to take another corner the mounting exhaustion gave way; she stumbled. 

B’Elanna gripped her fists, ready to fight with everything she had when Tom suddenly appeared in front of her. Leaning forward he screamed like some crazed animal which caused the much larger animal before him to think twice about its victims. There was something about it too, seeing him worked up and, well, primal. B’Elanna had no way of knowing how much this played on her Klingon instincts, his fearlessness, his bravado. She would hardly call him macho but still… there was something about him she found compelling. 

Tom’s voice cracked from the strain and he moved slowly off to the side as B’Elanna scurried back. He made sure the thing was watching him and when it started to move towards him again he ran, straight for the cliff. The plan worked like a charm. It only took a few seconds of holding his position in front of the rock face, the thing charging head on at full speed. Jumping out of the way was easy and the ground shook from the impact as the beast collided with the cliff. 

Tome covered his head to protect himself from the debris. A spray of dust that hung in the air, but when the fragments settled he opened his eyes to the alien, knocked out cold. With a wave of relief Tom cheered for the victory he’d won and B’Elanna appeared by his side. “Just to be clear,” she said “I don’t need you to rescue me.” 

The grin on her face made him sure she was teasing. “I could say the same,” he offered back. 

Curiosity seemed to suit them both and they moved to inspect the animal. Tom reached his foot out and nudged the thing by its leg, fully ready to jump back if he needed to, but it didn’t stir. The human breathed a sigh of relief for that. 

B’Elanna, on the other hand, was in no mood for more blood or gore and thankfully she received neither as she leaned in to get a better look at its face. The humanistic features, bad makeup, and strange hair weren’t quite as interesting as the rocks where it had collided. There were… lights, strange tubes, and something that looks like a motherboard to a computer. “Tom” she said softly, kneeling down. “Get a look at this.” 

Paris, or rather, Proton came to lean in beside her and noted the same computer like structure she did. His eyes trailed up along the rocks. They were real weren’t they? His hand moved out to touch them. They felt real. They’d been heavy enough to knock this guy out certainly. “You think this is some kind of facade?” he asked, indicating the cliff. 

Nudging past the lopsided tongue of the monster, B’Elanna reached in and flipped a switch. There was a little hum, something she expected to happen, something that finally made sense. She shook her head before looking around them wide eyed in understanding. 

“It ALL is.”


	5. You're a doctor damn it!

Tom groaned with the last violent effort to pull the unconscious beast out of the way. If he’d never thrown his back out before, he was certainly close to doing so now. He rubbed the area of his lower back as he straightened up before returning to B’Elanna. 

She was already arm deep pulling at small cards and changing the placement of plugs. It was like she understood the machinery intrinsically and, despite not knowing the names for objects, she was well aware of how they worked; how they functioned as a whole. “This isn’t really a world or a planet. We’re in a simulation. Someone programmed this place, these people, it’s like some sort of game!” 

“Who’d put in all that effort?” Tom asked, crossing his arms and leaning up against the cliff. 

B’Elanna shook her head. “Someone with far too much time on their hands, that’s for sure.” 

He had to agree with her on that. “So shouldn’t we be able to leave? Shouldn’t there be some kind of voice command and an exit?” 

“Yes, that’s how they normally work but…” she pulled back from the panel and said, “Something, maybe whatever messed with our memories, it fried the circuits. We should be able push a few command keys and turn the program off but they’re not responding. Half of these systems are completely useless. Like this one.” She gestured to the back of the circuitry and Tom had to bend down to see where she was pointing. “It’s the safety protocol and it’s so badly damaged I’d have to completely replace it, not just repair.” 

Tom nodded. “That explains your wound.” he said and furrowed his brow with concern, “How are you feeling by the way?” 

In any other circumstance B’Elanna might have thought it nice he was worried, but right now she had other priorities. The mechanics that needed fixing kept her focused on something other than her side. And besides, she wasn’t the type of girl who needed coddling! At least... she didn’t think she was. “I’ll be alright.” 

“It’s just…” He considered her thoughtfully for a moment. Some bare essential medical knowledge rolled around his head. “I’m not entirely sure how you’re walking right now, much less conscious enough to do engineering work.” He couldn’t explain it, not unless he knew more about her species and their anatomy. “Don’t suppose you have a second spleen I should know about?” 

B’Elanna took her eyes away from the panel, just long enough to look up at him, the corners of her mouth turning upwards “Maybe I do.” 

Tom’s own goofy grin spread across his face. She had a nice smile, soft dark eyes and obviously a good head on her shoulders. They held each other’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary before turning away. 

B’Elanna cleared her throat. “Well, this isn’t the main panel. I’ll need to find that before I can do anything,” she informed him. “But without knowing where the walls are it’s going to be impossible to tell where it is.” It wasn’t like they could just bang at every rock until it either cracked or fell away to reveal the machinery. 

Tom might never have known what synapses in his head were firing to piece together the little details of his memory, but piece together something they did. He recalled the ship they’d been heading towards, the monitors it held, he could see it as clearly as if he’d created the vessel himself, knowing each and every panel and control. “I think it’s on my rocketship.” he suggested suddenly. “I think one of the key components for accessing this, this… computer.” He snapped his fingers, remembering the name. “It’s there. The base of operations. I don’t know why I didn’t put it together before but I just know that’s how this works.” 

B’Elanna thought it over with a frown. “How can you be so sure?” she asked. 

Tom gave the question a deep and thoughtful mulling over. His brows furrowed and his eyes drifted off, not looking at anything in particular as he faded inwardly seeking the answer. “Because… I’m part of the program…” 

“What?” 

“Listen,” Tom felt a sudden flutter as he dropped to his knees next to B’Elanna. “I can’t be sure but… I seem to know everything about this place, about Chaotica and his henchmen. I know about my ship, what’s inside and how it functions. I can see it clearly in my memory. Or, whatever constitutes as memory for an artificial being.” They were both silent at the thought of him being just a hologram. “I didn’t know before that this was a simulation but… It just makes so much sense. I ‘belong’ here.” 

B’Elanna was silent. It did make sense. He was like a guide put in to get the player from point A to point B. He knew more about it than she did which was strange to consider now that she was most surely an engineer. 

B’Elanna looked over his pale face and easy features. He was tall and heroic and his sense of humor matched this place somehow. He matched this place in a way she didn’t, even more so than his hideous clothes. It made more sense than anything else that had happened that day. She nodded and had to admit, “I think you might be.” 

There was a brief pause. 

Then the engineer decided to put her thoughts to better use. She reached into the panel and began to yank out a set of chips from the breaker board, those that hadn’t been completely fused. “If I can get the main controls then I can use these to reset the program and get things working properly.” 

“Right, I’ll make sure you get there.” Tom said before leading the way up and out of the quarry. 

The pair only got a few feet away when they heard a sinister laugh. “Captain Proton!” Chaotica called, strolling towards them with a flare for the dramatic. “We meet again!.” He tossed aside the cap of his black robes and a hand revealed that he still had the raygun from before. 

“Really? Now?” Tom asked. 

The weapon was fired and spray of chipped rock went hurtling towards them. The cliff they were standing near shook. Tom had just enough leeway in smoke to see the boulder which rolled precariously back and forth on the summit above. “B’Elanna!” he called and the two of them dashed away. The large rock crashing down just on top of where they’d stood. 

With the cover of dust behind them Tom and B’Elanna began to run, Chaotica laughing maniacally in the distance and a thundering march of his minions could be heard as they pursued their victims. 

\---

It had taken five turbolift rides, three confused strangers, and two about-faces when he’d reached deadends, but Harry finally found sickbay. As he entered the room there was a beeping sound from the computer responding to his presence. The overhead lights flashed on, allowing him to see in the room. 

No one was there.

...At least no one he could see. 

Just behind the monitoring station, stretched out on the floor, The Doctor lay on his back staring up at the ceiling. His arms were clasped together over his stomach with his thumbs rolling together back and forth. His brow was covered in as many wrinkles as there were thoughts racing through his brain. He lay there, pondering his existence. He was a hologram. That much had been easy to determine when the laser scalpel he’d used to treat a patient had been fumbled and simply fell through his arm. He could live with the knowledge that he was a piece of technology, sentient of course with little life outside the purpose for which he was created. But it was that contradictory and incomplete purpose that had him splayed out on the ground as he checked and re-checked his internal systems. So many memories were gone. They were like blotts upon his mind, blank spaces where knowledge had once been held. He no longer knew how to suture a wound, even though he could recall how to wield a laser scalpel. He could administer a hypospray but didn’t know which medicines to load it with. Without actual muscles, he found no muscle memory for operating the tricorder, but at least he knew what a tricorder was. And if that weren’t bad enough he was missing over half of the lyrics to the latest aria he’d been learning, the opera it stemmed from completely void of title in his mind. What good was he to anyone like this? What purpose or function could he contribute to the world, to the universe?

He didn’t even know his own name! 

Harry stumbled across the force fields and lights that were The Doctor’s feet. They poked out from just behind the station. Still unaccustomed to the stilettos, Harry had no chance of catching himself and instead fell down beside the EMH. He looked over and might have been annoyed if not so relieved to have found someone. 

“Hello,” The Doctor said with a touch of macabre distance, “Please state the nature of-” he sighed. It was on the tip of his tongue and yet he couldn’t find the words that would finish the sentence. 

“Hi,” Harry said. He rolled over and lifted himself, finding a comfortable seated position on the floor. The man, whoever he was, was fixated on the ceiling. Harry tilted his head to look up at where he was staring. As far as he could tell there wasn’t anything remotely interesting about it. He looked back at the sad figure/ “Are you the doctor?” he asked. 

“Of course I am,” he said absently. “I’m a doctor, and a hologram, and an artist unparalleled by any singer of this era, or… I was. But it’s all just so...” his face scrunched and his voice deepened as he exhaled dramatically, “Meaningless now.”

Harry nodded. “Uh huh…” He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that. He figured he might as well roll with it. “Okay, so you see the thing is Doctor, it looks like most of the crew has lost their memories. Well, part of their memories. I can remember my name and my favorite food but I’m not for sure what my job is, and-”

“Don’t be silly,” The Doctor said, seeing the man from the corner of his eye, “You’re obviously some type of gogo dancer based on that ridiculous outfit.” 

Harry huffed, he was really getting tired of hearing that. “Well, what I am aside from that. You have a job to do. We need our memories back.Who knows what will happen if something goes wrong and we can’t remember how to fix the ship. What’s our mission? Who do we report to? Who’s even flying this thing right now? And what the heck is an Imagizer because that word has been stuck in my head for hours!” 

“I can’t help you,” The Doctor answered forlornly. “I can’t even remember how to treat a simple case of Bolian Flu! And you want me to come up with a cure to some disease of memory loss that’s affected me just as much as you all? I’m… useless.” 

This pity party was getting old. Harry moved towards the man until he was leaning over him, face to face. “So the entire ship is in trouble and you’re just going to lay here?” 

“That’s my plan.” 

Harry got up from the floor with some effort (at least he was learning how to walk in these things) and moved around the monitor. He knew what most of the buttons meant but there were a handful he couldn’t properly identify. He pushed one and the screen scolded him with a harsh beep. He tried another and the image on the screen changed to a menu of options. Okay, now he understood one of them, but how was he supposed to get back? Through trial and error, Harry was determined to figure it out. 

The Doctor heard the first buzz from the system and assumed the man would give up, or get as frustrated as he had earlier. But he didn’t. It was several minutes of beeps, buzzing, and audible thought as Harry tried to use the computer. The Doctor’s annoyance grew with each little chime and comment. How dare he, an unregistered member of the crew (supposedly) mess with the computer in HIS sickbay? 

The Doctor rose from the floor in one swift movement. 

“Just what do you think you’re doing!” he exclaimed. 

It was Harry’s turn not to look at him as he spoke, keeping his eyes trained to the screen. “I’m trying to figure out how this thing works. We’re surrounded by technology, there’s bound to be a manual somewhere,” he reasoned. 

“Ha! You think I haven’t already tried that?” Doc ridiculed. “What makes you think you’re going to have any more luck than the chief medical officer?” 

Harry wasn’t one to lose his temper, but this guy was trying his patience. “Well, when the chief medical officer plans to just lay on the floor in the middle of the crisis, it doesn’t really matter what I think. What matters is that we get everyone’s memories back.” 

The Doctor rounded him, watching as Harry’s hands fled across the screen as if they knew what they were doing. It was infuriating. Why should he get to remember more about the monitor? “And what if we can’t? Had you considered that? What if we’re all doomed to only remember half of our lives for the _rest_ of lives. Never fully remembering who we are or where we’re supposed to be? Our families, our friends, our achievements in life, all gone leaving gaps in our knowledge that may never be restored!” 

His passion was admirable but his pessimism was really starting to bother Harry. 

“Your pessimism is really starting to bother me,” said Harry as he continued to look through the system. So what if he’d never been trained for this. He could learn, he was smart, he was certain he played an instrument, maybe even two or three. Learning how to use a straightforward computer system like this would be easy in comparison. 

The Doctor was fuming. His voice raised, he ordered “Get out!” This was still his sickbay after all. He still had seniority and authority, even if he wasn’t human. “You have no right to be here!” 

“No.” Harry said plainly and a shudder crossed his body as if he’d never disobeyed a direct order in his life. 

Aghast and with little other recourse, The Doctor swatted at Harry’s hands, halting his education on how the station worked. It was childish and Harry responded with his own childish swat in return. The EMH looked at him with indignation. He slapped his hands again. And again the favor was returned until both men were batting at each other in aggravated form. 

Finally Harry snapped, grabbing the doctor by his collar and held him down against the station. “Now look!” he shouted, louder than intended. “I may be a simple prostitute but you’re a doctor damn it! And if you’re just going to lay on the floor and let us all suffer, then I don’t have any time to waste with you. These people need help and if it happens to be yours or mine I’m going to make sure that they get it. Got it?” He released his hold and the hologram stared back at him with both humility and shock. 

The Doctor straightened his shirt before nodding slowly “Got it.” 

The room was silent but for the response of the computer system with all it’s little clicks and chirps. Both men stood side by side as they used their combined knowledge and memories to figure out which keys to press. It wouldn’t be a perfect match, but one of them would undoubtedly remember things that the other didn’t and even what they didn’t know, they could learn. 

After a time The Doctor said a gentle, “Thank you.” Harry turned to face him as he added, “Guess I just needed a little kick in the rear.” 

And with the admission Harry smiled. “No problem,” he answered, the two of them continuing with their task. 

“You know… if you ever want to get out of the sex worker game, you’d make a decent officer.” the EMH offered. 

Harry smiled even more. “I’ll consider it.”


	6. Say Goodbye Captain!

Captain Proton’s ship was sturdy to say the least. The holographic image depicted something constructed from thick metal sheets held together by bulky rivets. As an engineer, B’Elanna couldn’t imagine how this clunky thing could get airborne, but it would still make for a sturdy stronghold. 

As she darted inside Tom activated the locking mechanism and sealed the door. There was an unnecessary gush of air that came from nowhere, and for no apparent reason either. The panel hissed as it shut tight, locking their pursuers out. 

B’Elanna paused in the middle of the room as she took in the controls. The term “bells and whistles” didn’t come close to describing the odd mix of knobs and dials that ran next to unlit light bulbs which protruded from the panel. Absolutely nothing was labeled, leading her to believe that either Proton had memorized each function, or more likely, half of them did nothing. But one of them had to connect to the holodeck systems. She started testing the mechanics just as the first blast hit against their hull. The firing on their ship echoed with a metallic _bang!_ and made the entire vessel shake. Tom acted unphased. 

“I doubt they scratched the surface,” he assured her, coming up to B’Elanna’s side. 

“Let’s hope so,” she replied. Her fingers darted over the various controls, trying to find which set would activate the computer controls but absolutely none of them responded. 

Tom could see the trouble and started pressing the set in front of him. They behaved in the same fashion as hers: nothing happened. “No, no, no, no, no, no! I can’t believe I forgot!” He wailed, a hand going up and holding his forehead as if to not let any more information escape. “I’m such an idiot!” 

B’Elanna hated being out of the loop. “What?” 

There was another blast against the door, the horde of minions bashing against it. Tom grabbed her by the hand and pulled her over to another station. B’Elanna tried to conceal the blush rising to her face at his touch; apparently being in a life or death situation made her less nervous than feeling attracted to someone, even if that someone were a hologram; his touch, at least, felt real enough. 

There was a blank monitor over a set of controls that appeared to be the pilot’s station. To the left and beneath a rather gaudy looking set of gauges was a metal spiral. It opened with some difficulty, the little whine letting them know it could do with some lubricant. It seemed completely ridiculous that anyone would program that sort of inefficiency into a holographic story. Tom turned the lever back and forth until it was completely apparent that the container was empty. 

“We’re out of a power source,” He said gravely and B’Elanna was forced to peer down into the depths of the fuselage which was, as he said, very vacant. “We were supposed to get the jewels of Cosmosicas and bring them back here to use as fuel.” 

“The what?” B’Elanna asked. 

“They’re crystals that contain the power of a thousand suns. They’re a vital part of the story,” he explained. 

The door dented, just slightly, but enough to cause B’Elanna’s hair to prickle over her skin. “Well where the hell are they now?” she asked. 

\---

As the doctor busied himself with studying the cerebral cortex in hopes of restoring the crew’s memory, Harry took a pause. He’d done everything he could and everything the EMH had asked of him. Now it was just a matter of time to test medicines and run scans. He leaned back against the wall taking, what he felt was the first full breath since this had started. Smoothing out the silver skirt, he found himself admitting that he liked the look. It had a very ‘come hither’ style and frankly showed off all his good features. He slid his hands into his pockets, a sudden surprise crossing his eyes before pulling his left back out. He held a handful of tiny crystals of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. On closer examination there were no holes that thread might have been laced through, making them a part of some necklace or bracelet. They weren’t any substance he knew to be of particular importance or value. 

“Hmm” Harry questioned aloud “Wonder what these are for…?” 

\---

Another hit struck the ship, this time to the wall nearest their side. Chaotica was testing the vessel for weak points using the raygun. It banged against the hull, once, twice, three times, and with each strike the vibrations they created were amplified. B’Elanna tumbled back into Tom’s arms which wrapped around her instinctually. He steadied her, cradling her for a moment as she looked up to him, nearly a head shorter. That funny feeling passed through both of them, though neither was willing to admit they felt it. 

She pulled away, maybe lingering in his hold for a few seconds longer than she meant to. “Now what?” she asked softly. The pain in her side had ebbed but it remained as a reminder that she could absolutely be killed in this scenario. 

“I’m not sure,” he confessed, though the thought of surrender did pass his mind. Maybe if he handed himself over to Chaotica he could convince the villain to spare B’Elanna. 

“Don’t even think about it.” She scolded him suddenly, as if able to read his thoughts. “I’m not about to let you-” she couldn’t hold his gaze. “I’m not about to let him win!” She turned and pointed at where another blast hit the ship. “The game isn’t over yet!” 

He had to smile. She was certainly his type of girl. “Right.” 

While the henchmen continued to dent the door and Chaotica’s maniacal laugh, somehow, could be heard through the ten inches of steel, B’Elanna began to pace. She’d do a lot better if there weren’t so much noise to split her focus. “We can still end the program, fix the simulation if we can find the correct controls. The real ones.” 

Tom looked back over the panels. Each one was distinct in his mind. Each one created for some reason, even if it was just to set the mood for the room. They stood out to him in a way that might have been less obvious to another. Maybe less obvious to someone who wasn’t a part of the program. His vision trailed over them one by one until they landed firmly on the pilots controls, and something, _something_ he couldn’t put his finger on made him think of the broken Imagizer. It stood out to him in a way he didn’t fully comprehend, but what about today had been comprehensible? 

Turning away abruptly Tom moved towards the side room of the ship. There, in a small compartment of ancient style repair tools, things called hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers, he found what he was looking for. He drug the mallet from it’s compartment before heaving it over his shoulder and marching back into the room. 

“What is that?” B’Elanna asked, thinking it had to be as big as a Bat’leth… whatever a Bat’leth was. 

“Better cover your eyes,” Tom said and bounded up to the chair to stand on it. In one great heave, he lashed out with the tool and sent the monitor to shatter into millions of tiny pieces. They tinked as they struck the floor, a few sparks flew and mixed with the banging at the door and the striking of the hull. All in one loud boom, the visual aid came smashing apart and left the pair to shield their faces from the shards of glass. 

But it had done what Tom intended. 

Unlike any of the other technology in the room, behind the shattered screen was the colorful array of engineering B’Elanna was accustomed to. Tom gave a broad and triumphant smile as he jumped down from the chair. He managed to put the mallet back over his shoulder as he moved towards the woman. 

“Guess that’s one way to do it.” B’Elanna said, half impressed and half thinking him the most reckless man she’d ever met. Neither of which deterred her general ‘like’ of him. 

She used his shoulder as leverage to get onto the chair. The engineer was trying to make sense of the conduits and E-lines. B’Elanna used the chips they’d collected in the desert, tossing out burnt ones and replacing them. The engineer reattached one of the wires that had been pulled from place, twisting it along the maintenance score. She had to bite off the ends to make them the right length and her tongue was scratched for the effort. 

There was some sort of scuffling going on outside the door. Chaotica could be heard rousing his henchmen. To do what, however, was the question. They all clamoured when he’d finished his incoherent speech and there was a thunder of footfalls as they prepared to take some action. It put Tom on edge. He turned back to B’Elanna as she moved over fluid cells and recalibrated something. It was obvious she really needed tools for the task, but she was making due. Her fingers moved nimbly inside the frame of broken glass and Tom wondered for her safety. Just then there was another shake as the ship was fired on again. Whatever Chaotica had said or done outside the door was effective and it inched sideways like a can of tuna being pried open. 

“B’Elanna, we don't have much time.” He told her, moving closer to cover her should the door break. 

“I… I think I’ve got it,” she admitted, but her voice carried a sorrowful tone. 

“That’s great! Turn it off then!” Tom urged. 

But B’Elanna jumped down from the chair as another wail against the door sounded. Streams of light were now breaking in from the desert landscape outside. “This,” she pointed at the series of chips. “I didn’t have enough pieces. I couldn't do a full repair and…” 

“What?” 

“There’s a chance that when I shut down this program, it… it might be deleted.” 

There was a pause. 

“You,” she added softly, “Might be deleted.” 

The door was pulled back even further, clawed hands of the ‘bat’ people poked through. 

“Tom I-” 

“I’m just a simulation,” he cut her off. “Programmed by some guy who had nothing better to do with his time. I’m just lights and force fields. But you-” he stared deeply into her dark eyes, and even though there was no color, he could picture them as an earthy brown that sparkled with golden flecks when the light hit them just right. “You’re real, B’Elanna and I’m not going to let them kill you.” 

She was drawn closer to him. B’Elanna shook her head and placed a hand against his chest. The emotion of the moment, of the whole damn day was weighing on her. She felt her voice catch in her throat as she uttered: “You were real to me.” 

The opposite side of the door was now buckling. The two forces of the tearing about to meet in the middle. Faces of their assailants were nearly poking through. 

Neither Tom nor B’Elanna noticed. 

“Do you think,” he said with a hopeful sigh, “Just in case I don’t make it out of this… I could have a kiss?” 

It seemed a reasonable request. B’Elanna leaned up and Tom leaned down, as if the motion were familiar. Their lips embraced as Tom’s hand ran up and along the back of her head; fingers trailing through thick Klingon hair. B’Elanna growled every so slightly with the touch, nothing so distracting but enough that he could hear it and feel the tickle of her vocals against his mouth. A sensation of easiness, familiarity, and trust rushed between them. It was like they’d done this a million times before, though they were both so certain it was the first. 

The door of the ship flung open, the metal clanking against the ground as bodies pushed aside. Chaotica entered and raised the raygun at his victims. “Say goodbye Captain!” he scoffed. 

Tom, still holding B’Elanna, reached up with his free hand. He wasn’t sure how he knew which switch was right, but he was sure of himself as he looked down into the woman’s beautiful eyes. 

“Goodbye B’Elanna” 

and the holodeck chimed in response to the flipped switch just as the weapon was fired.


	7. In conclusion, you're a idiot

It was strange how real a simulation could feel and even more strange how it could all disappear within a fraction of a second. B’Elanna had closed her eyes as the room shimmered, the lights changing from their projection to that bare room of the holodeck. What had been such a vast landscape of desert and stone was now back to its original 10X13 meter space. Tall walls, firm floor, big lights and when the woman opened her eyes, there also was Tom. 

She smiled. “You… you weren’t part of the program.” she gasped. 

Tom touched himself, his arms and chest and sides. He was whole and he was most certainly not deleted. “I guess I wasn’t.” He might have been more relieved if this hadn’t made him look so foolish. Though, he was more than happy to be next to B’Elanna and alive. 

Even if the holodeck was smaller in visual size than it was capable of appearing when running, both individuals had to admit to standing far too close to each other. They took a step back out of politeness and examined the shell of their environment. The door was only a short walk away. Tom gestured towards it in a ‘ladies-first’ offering. 

B’Elanna threw her shoulders back, trying to save face when a voice came on from overhead. “Attention crew of the USS Voyager.” 

“Voyager?” Tom asked, looking to B'Elanna. 

She shrugged. 

“This is your doctor speaking and I’ve discovered a cure for your amnesia.” There was a coughing sound in the background, “Sorry. I and Ensign Kim, have discovered a cure for your amnesia,” he explained. 

“Kim!” Tom announced. “I know that guy. He usually plays the Proton simulation with me.” 

B’Elanna shot him a look and a grin, “Hmm, maybe under different circumstances you would have wound up kissing him.” she teased. 

“Now I don’t want any of you to be alarmed. Your memories were taken by a type of electrical light impulse. We’ve found a way to reverse the polarity. Just hold still and try to keep your eyes open for as long as possible.” There was a little chirp as the comm was ended. 

Just then,a band of light started to scan the room. It was much the same as the one from before, not that they could recall it. Instead of red this one was a shade of green but held the same brightness as a neon bulb. Tom’s eyes watered as he kept them open, trying to follow the doctor’s orders. 

It passed through them with little more than a tingle. There were a few short breaths as memories and words began to flood their minds. What had been felt so heavily lost was now restored. The couple looked at one another and B’Elanna cut across the short space between them and kissed her husband again. Tom responded with the same vigor before the two of them fell away. There was a sigh and then movement towards the door. 

They both stepped out, back in the corridor of their ship, the _real_ ship. B’Elanna couldn’t help but take another shot at Tom. “Jewels of Cosmosicas?” she asked with a raised brow. “Really, Paris?” 

He laughed. 

—-

A few weeks later Harry met Tom at the Holodecks for their next big Captain Proton adventure. He stood there waiting, dressed as before in the silver catsuit with a skirt. Tom rounded the corner. Much to both of their surprise, they found they were in matching outfits. 

“I thought you said you wanted me to play Cosmosicas next time?” Tom asked, walking up to Harry. His taller frame meant the suite didn’t quite reach as low as Harry’s and did well to conceal his navel. 

“What can I say?” Harry shrugged. “guess I got into the character. Being underestimated. Having people not take you seriously only to prove them wrong!”

Tom hit the keys on the holodeck panel to set up their program. He’d just finished chapter 28 and was eager to get started fighting the intergalactic mob. “Not to mention you liked the attention you got?” He ventured.

Harry turned to face the doors and stood up straighter, perhaps a bit defensive. But his voice was soft as he answered, “is there something wrong with that?” 

Tom gave a chuckle before shaking his head. “I guess not,” he said genuinely. “But there is a problem.” The doors opened to the interior of his programmed ship, bathed in black and white. “If we’re both Cosmosicas then who’s playing the Captain?” 

Right on cue, B’Elanna appeared behind them. “Room for one more?” 

Tom beamed seeing her in one of his Proton uniforms, obviously resized to fit her. It was a shiny oversized jumpsuit and she even wore the goggles just above her Klingon ridges. A mix of steampunk and space age nonsense. She was beautiful. 

“Didn’t think you liked my program,” he said, leaning down to offer a kiss to her cheek. 

B’Elanna enjoyed the small affection before marching forward and into the room. “Guess I had a change of heart.” She said, “Now, if you don’t mind, I believe we have a universe to save.”

And the three of them set to playing, not the first, but the second most ridiculous Captain Proton game ever.

After all, what could compare to The Forlorn Fugitive?


End file.
